Sword and Sheath
by TC
Summary: 4xOrigional, Quatre feels guilty about some collateral damage...reviews are appreciated! Tell me what's bad/good and if ya want more!
1. Angels on Earth Can Hurt Just as Much

  
SWORD AND SHEATH  
  
1: ANGELS ON EARTH CAN HURT JUST AS MUCH  
  
-a TC fic  
  
Kattyena tapped her pen against her teeth and stared at the overhead's   
  
projection. "The square root of 25 is 5, so thus the factor of the binomial   
  
would be..." As the teacher went into more and more detail, Kattyena became more   
  
and more bored. It was only the start of the period and she was already as   
  
anxious as hell to be out of the class. Suddenly there was a knock on the port-  
  
holed ship-themed door. A student got up to open it. Kattyena barely raised   
  
her head from the desk. Which was a good thing, since then her jaw didn't have   
  
very far to drop when she saw the boy who walked through that door. His   
  
platinum gold hair framed an angelic face like no other Kattyena had ever seen.   
  
His brilliant blue eyes sparkled with a gentle light, much like sunlight on a   
  
forest, as he greeted the teacher and was introduced to the students. "Class   
  
this is Quatre Raberba Winner, he's an exchange student from Japan and will be   
  
staying with us for a short while. Oh and don't worry, he speaks perfect   
  
English." The boy, Quatre, smiled warmly at the class, his manner shy yet   
  
friendly. As his eyes swept the class, they locked briefly with Kattyena's deep   
  
hazel ones. Kattyena felt a blush rising to her cheeks and quickly looked away.   
  
When she looked back, Quatre was being shown to a seat on the other side of the   
  
room, much to Kattyena's disappointment. His easygoing manner made him hard to   
  
dislike and he quickly became the centre of attention, much to the teacher's   
  
amusement, luckily she had finished teaching before the new student had arrived.   
  
Several of the more popular girls in the school, attempted to flirt with Quatre,   
  
only to meet with the friendliness expressed to everyone else and not a tad   
  
more. Somehow though, this not quite rebuke seemed to cause them to try even   
  
harder. However, every time they found themselves going nowhere, and yet not   
  
offended in the least. So the class continued, with Quatre politely refusing   
  
the onslaughts of the [female sheep] cliquish girls, and Kattyena, drooling from   
  
afar. All this changed though, after the bell rang twice. In fourth period   
  
science, the teacher assigned Kattyena to show Quatre around the school, since   
  
he was already familiar with the Science Lab they were doing and Kattyena could   
  
make it up after school. So the pair started off, Kattyena muttering slightly,   
  
but maintaining some polite small talk, and Quatre responding in kind. [Little   
  
did she realize that Quatre was just as shy as she was!] Both blushing   
  
furiously whenever their eyes locked. [But since they looked in opposite   
  
directions immediately after of course, neither saw the other blush!!] She had   
  
shown him around one wing of the school and was starting on the other when an   
  
insistent beeping startled them both. Quatre looked down at the small pager   
  
affixed to his waistband, glancing at it quickly before moving to block   
  
Kattyena's view of it with his body. He smiled wistfully and excused himself,   
  
looking gravely into Kattyena's eyes as he asked her to lie for him. Kattyena   
  
watched him go with a curious expression, what could the pager possibly have   
  
said? Where was Quatre off to? She quickly squashed her desire to find out and   
  
headed back to class, her ingenious mind already preparing a suitable excuse.  
  
  
  
"Rashid that was unacceptable!" The angelic boy paced the small room in a   
  
rare show of anger. "I was forced to ask an uninvolved innocent to lie for me!"   
  
The bearded man bowed his head in consent.  
  
"I'm sorry Master Quatre, but this was urgent, we just received word that   
  
some OZ troops followed us and are headed in the direction of the school. They   
  
will arrive here in under half an hour." Quatre froze then sighed.  
  
"Thank you Rashid, I'm sorry I got angry, but I don't like involving   
  
unnecessary people in my battles. I just wish OZ would choose more honourable   
  
battlegrounds. Is there any chance of intercepting them before they get here?"   
  
The young boy ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair. The older man lowered   
  
his head briefly.  
  
"No Master Quatre, not if you plan on defending the school. Considering   
  
the time needed to retrieve your Sandrock, you will have to fight them here.   
  
Quatre sighed again tiredly.  
  
"Alright then, let's go get Sandrock."  
  
  
  
Kattyena adjusted the focus on the microscope, bringing the sample into   
  
view. "Whoa, active little things aren't they?" She said to no one in   
  
particular. The single-celled organisms zipped around the microscope's field of   
  
view enthusiastically, much to Kattyena's annoyance. How was she supposed to   
  
observe the damned things if they kept moving? As she adjusted the focus again,   
  
Kattyena realized there were some very odd noises coming from outside.   
  
Crunching metal, shattering glass and car alarms. After pausing for a minute,   
  
Kattyena gave in to her more apathetic side and decided it was none of her   
  
business. That was until the noises started getting closer. As the tearing and   
  
rending of metal screeched somewhere much too close for comfort, Kattyena froze.   
  
Anticipating a surprise as she was, Kattyena was still unprepared for the sight   
  
that met her eyes. A huge robot crashed through the side of the lab, tearing   
  
away most of the wall and parting the floor before it before coming to rest near   
  
the fume hoods. Subsequently, the large hole in the wall provided Kattyena with   
  
a panoramic view of the ruined 'shop below, and a second humanoid robot   
  
advancing on the damaged one. The aggressor was much more elegant than the   
  
damaged robot. He, for the robot had a distinctly male look to it, had broad   
  
shoulders tipped with what looked like fledgling wings, a head resembling a   
  
samurai helmet, and charcoal, crimson, yellow and white armour all over his   
  
metal form. Altogether beautiful, in a massive and threatening way. Kattyena   
  
felt a spark of something as she looked into the glowing green "eyes" of the   
  
mechanical samurai, but it was there and gone again in an instant. The damaged   
  
one, a rather sickly green colour, had vaguely cylindrical head, plain, blocky,   
  
joints and only a large, red, square where it's eyes should be. Kattyena had no   
  
affinity to this one whatsoever, actually she thought it was pretty ugly. As if   
  
hearing her thought, it shifted before raising its cannon for a shot at the   
  
advancing enemy. However the armoured warrior didn't even give it time to bring   
  
him into its sights as he drew two curved white swords and sliced them downwards   
  
through the chest of the floundering green robot. The resulting explosion was   
  
smaller than it might have been, but still large enough to disintegrate the   
  
floor under Kattyena and hurl her into the air. Time almost seemed to stop as   
  
she flew upwards before, her own scream echoing in her ears, she plummeted   
  
downwards. The world stretched and distorted as she saw a giant, grey, hand   
  
reach out towards her, and suddenly she was landing on it. She skidded and   
  
bounced along the smooth surface, almost falling off the edge before the robot   
  
cupped its hand, trapping her safely inside. Greyness fuzzed at the edge of her   
  
vision as she curled up in the palm of her saviour, only the rocking of the   
  
giant hand telling her that they were moving. The closed hand blocked out most   
  
of the remaining sunlight and created a sort of shifting dusk whose shadows   
  
played with her mind before she drifted into unconsciousness.  
  
  
  
"Master Quatre! What are you doing?" A tanned man wearing small round   
  
sunglasses ran out onto the cracked, mossy asphalt. "Who is this?" He continued   
  
to demand answers as the tired pilot descended from the hatch of Kattyena's   
  
"metal samurai", which was actually the mobile suit Gundam Sandrock. Quatre   
  
leaned slightly against the scarred white armour of his machine's leg for a   
  
moment, unconscious girl in his arms, before he smiled ruefully at his   
  
distressed servant.   
  
"I'm sorry Abdul but I couldn't just leave her there. Rashid's not going   
  
to be very happy about this is he?" The lithe man slowed to walk beside Quatre,   
  
who was striding towards a large run-down warehouse.  
  
"No Master Quatre." He said rather wryly. "Rashid is never happy when you   
  
let your kindness endanger you." He looked down at the still form in Quatre's   
  
arms. "Though I have to admit, she doesn't look very dangerous. Nor does she   
  
look very injured, don't tell me you brought her here because she's pretty,   
  
Master Quatre." The servant turned a teasingly sceptical eye on his young   
  
master.  
  
"No Abdul," Quatre tried to keep from blushing and failed. " The truth is   
  
she was hit by the explosion from one of the Leo suits I destroyed. Maybe it's   
  
only scrapes and burns, but I have to be sure."   
  
Abdul nodded and fell into step behind him quietly. Quatre carried Kattyena   
  
inside and down a hallway until he reached a battered-looking freight elevator.   
  
They stepped inside and Abdul pressed the lowest of three buttons, taking them   
  
down to a previously non-existent level of the warehouse. When they stepped out   
  
of the elevator into the hallway, there was a remarkable change in atmosphere.   
  
All the dirtiness and shabbiness was gone, replaced by newer, sturdier materials   
  
and pristine cleanliness. At the end of the hall was a thick metal door. Abdul   
  
stepped in front of Quatre to knock. Three precise raps on the smooth material   
  
made a surprisingly loud noise and the door was quickly opened. Behind it was a   
  
beehive of activity. Men in what Quatre recognized to be standard Magnamac   
  
uniforms bustled to and fro, guiding his Sandrock into the high-tech hanger   
  
concealed beneath the dirty shell of a warehouse. "So this is our local   
  
concealed base?" Quatre asked Abdul. The man only nodded, any words he spoke   
  
unlikely to be heard by the young boy as a large engine had started up somewhere   
  
and was causing a copious amount of noise. When it stopped, he expanded on the   
  
nod.  
  
"I guess you were kind of in a hurry the first time you were here Master   
  
Quatre, so you didn't have a good look around. This is one of our most   
  
concealed locations yet. Since there is plenty of little-used waterfront   
  
storage in this town, it was not hard to quietly purchase a warehouse and move   
  
our supplies here. However, constructing this hanger was slightly more   
  
difficult. This whole town is composed of wetlands, and thus anything normally   
  
built underground would flood. This hanger and underground complex is a sealed   
  
network of tunnels, vents, and hidden exits and entrances. I wish OZ had picked   
  
somewhere where basements were easier to construct. Anyway, we are posing as a   
  
small swamp-fishing company, and this is where we make repairs to our boats and   
  
package the fish for transport. If anyone ever thought to check, they would   
  
find a perfectly normal operation on the surface, and due to our location,"   
  
Abdul made a face at this. "No one would ever suspect an underground facility."   
  
They had reached the opposite side of the hanger, where several other doors led   
  
off into different parts of the complex. Abdul opened one of them, and led   
  
Quatre to the small infirmary behind it. There he stopped, and bowing to   
  
Quatre, he left, saying he was going to inform Rashid of Quatre's arrival. That   
  
left only Quatre to lean against the wall while the doctor looked over Kattyena.   
  
Finally, after much prodding, poking, and muttering, the doctor stood up and   
  
looked at Quatre gravely over his spectacles.   
  
"Well, there isn't any internal bleeding, but her ribs are extremely   
  
bruised on one side and one or two may be fractured. However those are nothing   
  
to worry about, and neither are her scrapes and burns, those can be easily   
  
dressed and will heal quickly. We'll have to wait until she wakes up to see if   
  
there's any head trauma, I can't be sure from a purely physical examination. It   
  
was good of you to bring her in Master Quatre, but what about you, are you   
  
injured?"  
  
"No, I'm just tired, what are you going to do with her?" Quatre raised his   
  
head to eye the doctor levelly.  
  
"Well, since I don't think you would allow me to do anything else, I   
  
suppose she can be housed in one of the beds here until she wakes up. Why don't   
  
you go and get some rest while I dress her wounds, I'll send for you when she   
  
wakes up." The doctor looked up at Quatre from writing on a clipboard.  
  
"No, if it's okay I'd like to stay here until she wakes up." Quatre   
  
stated. The doctor sighed. There was something about this particular rescue.   
  
He had a feeling Master Quatre wouldn't want to leave until he was sure she was   
  
all right, so he dressed the girl's wounds and left her sleeping in one of the   
  
beds in the deserted infirmary. As he had assumed, Quatre took up a bedside   
  
vigil. When the doctor left he was still there, watching the girl sleep and   
  
seemingly lost in his own thoughts. One hand abstractly stroking stray strands   
  
of honey brown hair off her pale face.  
  
  
  
Kattyena didn't know where she was, but her head hurt and she felt the   
  
sting of many minor cuts and bruises along her torso and limbs. She was lying   
  
in a soft bed between clean sheets, and there was a comforting hand cupping her   
  
cheek. Slowly opening her eyes, Kattyena saw what looked like the room of a   
  
deserted hospital facility of some sort. Four other beds were in her room,   
  
empty with their curtains tucked neatly away. Overall the air had a canned   
  
smell, kind of metallic and antiseptic, however it was pleasantly overlaid by   
  
another softer scent. The hand on her cheek had fallen away, and when Kattyena   
  
turned, she realized that it was not a family member as she had assumed, but the   
  
golden haired boy from her classes. She felt her heart go out to him as she saw   
  
that he was fast asleep. Head and shoulders leaning on her bed, the rest of him   
  
slumped in a chair pulled up to her bedside. A few silky locks fluttered as he   
  
breathed deeply. Kattyena's hand went out almost of it's own will, and she   
  
tucked the stray hair behind his ear. How anyone could have such a beautiful   
  
colour of hair was beyond her. Sure she often fell for blondes, but Quatre's   
  
hair was different than any other she had seen. So soft, it almost seemed   
  
translucent in its ability to capture the sunlight, and ethereal in retaining   
  
its rich platinum gold colouring. As she stared at the angelic face in front of   
  
her, he mind began to shake off its cloak of sleepy muzziness. Kattyena began   
  
to wonder why the angel was sleeping with his head on her bed and why she was in   
  
a hospital in the first place. However at her first sign of movement, the young   
  
man's shaded blue eyes snapped open and locked with hers, a radiant smile   
  
springing to his face at the sight  
  
"I'm so glad you're awake, how do you feel?" he asked her kindly as he sat   
  
up.  
  
"Like hell." Kattyena replied before she could stop herself.  
  
"I'm not surprised, but I am impressed by your honesty." Quatre's smile   
  
turned mischievous and Kattyena flushed. He got up to go. "I'm going to go get   
  
the doctor okay? He'll want to know you're awake."  
  
  
  
"Well I'm glad to say there's no psychological damage, but one of your   
  
ribs is cracked. I advise you stay here for the next couple of days and   
  
recuperate. After that we can release you to a normal hospital, okay?" The   
  
doctor looked at Kattyena. She nodded and the doctor patted her shoulder   
  
reassuringly. "For now I think you should go back to bed and rest." Kattyena   
  
complied, wishing that Quatre could stay with her, it was kind of lonely in that   
  
room, even with the entertainment they supplied. So she spent the rest of the   
  
day sleeping, utilising the entertainment facilities, and being bored. With   
  
suppertime came a welcome surprise and interruption of her monotonous day.   
  
Quatre pranced into the room carrying a tray with what was definitely not   
  
hospital food on it. He sidled up to the bed and put it on her lap, beaming   
  
when he saw the surprise and delight etched on her face.   
  
"Surprise! Oops, I better be quiet, I don't know whether the doctor would   
  
approve of you eating the non-supplemental, recuperatory-diet-interrupting foods   
  
I brought you." Quatre held a finger to his lips in a comical display of   
  
secrecy.  
  
"Well be comforted by the fact that I approve." Kattyena smiled   
  
gratefully. Quatre bowed slightly and she giggled. "What's got you in such a   
  
good mood?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"Having a patient to care for I guess," A momentary shadow fell over   
  
Quatre's eyes "I destroy so much, I like feeling like I'm healing something."   
  
He looked down. "Sorry."  
  
"No, I'm sorry I asked." Kattyena ignored the oddness of the statement and   
  
took Quatre's hand. "I really am grateful, I mean I always thought TC was crazy,   
  
hating my banana puddings, but now I finally understand and share her passionate   
  
hate for the things. (Umm ignore that...) How about we share this hmm?" Quatre   
  
looked at her.  
  
"But it's for you." He stated hesitantly.  
  
"Yeah I know, but I'm so lonely being here all by myself and you look   
  
kinda hungry. Besides, I'm not sure I should eat all this, I might end up like   
  
Fruitmajoot (don't ask...)." Kattyena made a face. Quatre laughed.  
  
"I always told her she'd get fat from eating all that junk food. (I.e.   
  
TC'S HOMEMADE COOKIES!! ) and fasting the rest of the time...it's unhealthy!"   
  
Kattyena snickered and shook her head. "Well off that pleasant topic, let's   
  
eat, shall we?" Kattyena looked at Quatre.  
  
"I thought you'd never ask." Quatre smiled back. They ate through the   
  
supper in no time, and yet Quatre didn't leave after it was finished. He stayed   
  
at Kattyena's bedside talking happily to her until they both fell asleep, in   
  
almost the exact same positions as the night before. Quatre rested well that   
  
night. Having another person his age that understood him so well and was   
  
willing to talk was amazing to him, not to mention majorly therapeutic. The   
  
only times his sleep was interrupted was when he dreamt strange things about   
  
speedwell and a girl with honey-brown hair and hazel eyes.   
  
  
  
The next morning Quatre left the infirmary whistling happily to himself.   
  
He had a very un-Quatre-like thought about "accidentally" breaking another one   
  
of Kattyena's ribs, just so she could stay longer. However that thought was   
  
quickly, and a little guiltily, pushed aside. He felt incredibly relaxed around   
  
her, well not exactly, but relaxed as in he didn't feel as if he had to keep his   
  
guard up all the time. For the first time last night he had slept without   
  
nightmares, in fact, he hadn't dreamt at all. (Suuuree you didn't...) But   
  
being around Kattyena was also very strange for him. He got odd flutterings in   
  
the pit of his stomach and blushed easily. It wasn't unpleasant, just strange.   
  
Oh he knew what it was all right, but accepted the fact that she would never   
  
want a Gundam pilot with such bloodstained hands, and quashed the feelings   
  
uncharacteristically viciously every time they arose. Still whistling, Quatre   
  
entered the briefing room. Rashid looked up at his entrance. "You look happy   
  
this morning Master Quatre," he commented grimacing. "I'm sorry I have to spoil   
  
it with my news. Take a look at this please." Quatre looked.  
  
"A map of our current location?" He blinked.  
  
"Now look at the rest of the transmission we intercepted from OZ." Text   
  
rolled up the screen.  
  
"Kuso." Quatre swore quietly. "That's a lot of mobile suits. Are you   
  
sure of this?"  
  
"Yes Master Quatre," Rashid nodded grimly. "That's why we set up a base   
  
here. We've known for some time that OZ was building its forces here."   
  
"But we never suspected it would be this..." Quatre was still staring   
  
numbly at the message. Suddenly his face took on a determined look. "I must   
  
keep OZ from getting those troops to outer space." He said. "Whatever I do I   
  
won't give up. Rashid, I'm sorry to be so morbid but I think I had better   
  
record a few messages." The bear-like man conceded, knowing that with that many   
  
enemy mobile suits, it was a good precaution to take.  
  
"I'll get the camcorder."   
  
  
  
Kattyena repeated her previous day at the infirmary, amusing herself,   
  
sleeping and gagging down banana pudding. [Curses and death...] However today   
  
she mulled over Quatre's strange behaviour that morning. He had come in rather   
  
sombrely, saying he was off on a mission and he might be late for supper, then   
  
he had spontaneously hugged her. It was a fierce embrace, not a light hug, and   
  
twinged her rib. Then he had left without another word. It was definitely odd,   
  
but Kattyena still looked forward to their dinner together. His company was so   
  
enjoyable, she wished she could stay longer, however she wasn't sure she could   
  
manage to break another rib. After all it was really that giant explosion that   
  
had broken the first one. Quatre had explained how he had been coming back to   
  
pick up work from the teacher when he saw the explosion and ran to help. She   
  
still wasn't particularly sure what was going on, but Quatre had said they were   
  
keeping both of them here for a short while as a sort of witness protection   
  
program. She was watching a particularly boring TV program about teen boot   
  
camps, when one of the servants came and summoned her. Slightly stiff, she   
  
followed him, rather perplexed. When they finally reached their destination   
  
after wandering through a maze of corridors and big empty rooms, the first thing   
  
she saw was a big man with sideburns was standing by a screen. He looked grim,   
  
and a wetness that might have been tears shone in his eyes.   
  
"Hello Kattyena, my name is Rashid." He said as she walked into the room.  
  
"Umm hello." Kattyena responded nervously. Quatre had talked of a man   
  
named Rashid, he had said all good things, but she was still a little nervous.   
  
Rashid looked at her guageingly for a moment, then began to read of the screen   
  
before him.  
  
"As of 13:00 hours today, Quatre Raberba Winner was killed by the self-  
  
destruction of his mobile suit in the battle against OZ. An ally has retrieved   
  
the body and the appropriate funeral functions are being arranged. He was a   
  
great pilot and an even better friend. I don't know what the Gundams will do   
  
without him. Transmitted from Gundam 03, pilot: Trowa Barton." Rashid looked   
  
up to see a bewildered Kattyena.  
  
"What? Gundams? Battles? I- I don't understand!" Kattyena's voice was   
  
unnaturally high and she was looking around wildly. "What's going on? Where's   
  
Quatre?" She stopped and stood still as Rashid handed her a videotape.   
  
"This should explain everything. Master Quatre told me to give this to   
  
you if he didn't make it back." Kattyena took the tape with shaking hands.   
  
Staring at it for a moment before collapsing to her knees, all the confusion was   
  
washed away, leaving behind only cold realization. She sobbed brokenly, unable   
  
to stop now that her tears had been released. Quatre was dead.  
  
  
-OWARI-   
  
(End) Part 1  
  
  
Author's Note(s)/Personal Disclaimers/Rambling: All original characters in this   
  
story are completely fictional and if they bear any resemblance to real life   
  
people it's not my fault...hehe who am I kidding? I wrote this fic for a friend   
  
^^ sorry if I stuck some RL people in here...I suppose it's my first "real"   
  
fic...and the one that's closest to being "finished" ^^;; ...unfortunately I   
  
have no idea how this will read to someone who doesn't know me or   
  
"Kattyena"...or Fruitmajoot for that matter...so feel free to tell me that it   
  
sucks...or that you don't understand...but it'd be nice if you included some   
  
reasons too...and yeah the "Sword/sheath" thing is from RK but I only borrowed   
  
the concept. If a standard disclaimer is needed for that, place it here -- (   
  
) sorry...my friend uploaded something...I decided it was time I got my butt in   
  
gear, so I did the "mimicry is the finest form of flattery" thing and uploaded   
  
something too...V.V too bad I didn't have much to upload...oh and there might be   
  
some conversational Japanese stuffed in here somewhere...O.o;; But you should   
  
get the context...well I think that's all...weird author's notes ne?   
  
  
Disclaimer(s): I don't own Gundam Wing or the characters and stuff I used from   
  
it...I'm not making money from this, I did it purely for fun...so don't sue   
  
me...I do own my own characters though...and my plotlines...my stuff...O.o;; I'm   
  
making a mess of this aren't I? Well all the standard disclaimers and stuff I   
  
forgot...  
  



	2. Broken Blades are Like Shattered Hearts

SWORD AND SHEATH  
  
2: BROKEN BLADES ARE LIKE SHATTERED HEARTS  
  
-a TC fic  
  
There was a blank bit of white noise at the beginning of the tape, before   
  
Quatre's face appeared. The angelic countenance brought Kattyena to tears once   
  
more, and she nearly had to stop the tape. However, Quatre seemed to know how   
  
she'd react. His eyes, glistening with tears, spoke a silent apology. Being   
  
Quatre, he skipped the usual, 'if you're watching this that probably means   
  
I'm...' speech and went straight to blaming himself for everything. "I'm sorry   
  
for this Kattyena, and if you don't want to watch this tape I'll understand.   
  
This is probably the most selfish thing I've ever done in my life, and though   
  
you may hate me for it, I couldn't go into this battle without my good-byes   
  
being on file somewhere. Rashid will have told you then, how I died. I hope I   
  
haven't hurt you too badly by coming in contact with you. In the few short   
  
hours that I've known you, you've changed my life forever, for the better. I   
  
would never forgive myself if I ruined yours in the process. Well before I get   
  
into that, I suppose I'd better explain everything. It's the least I can do.   
  
However I warn you that you could be imprisoned for knowing the things I'm about   
  
to tell you. I hope that wherever you are, you walk away now and forget you   
  
ever met me." At this point Quatre dropped his eyes from the camera to wipe   
  
away the tears threatening to overcome him. Kattyena burst into fresh sobs at   
  
the thought of forgetting the angel who had saved her life in more ways than   
  
one. After a few sniffles on both ends, the monologue continued. "I say once   
  
again, Kattyena walk away now and forget me, it's the best thing you could do."   
  
Kattyena didn't move and inch. "However, if you aren't going to listen to me,   
  
which I have a feeling you won't," Quatre paused to smile waterily at her. "You   
  
have the right to know what this is about. All right. I, Quatre Raberba   
  
Winner, am the pilot of the mobile suit Gundam Sandrock. The Gundams are a rebel   
  
force fighting against a militaristic organization named OZ, whose goal is world   
  
domination. It may sound cliched, but they destroy and suppress whoever or   
  
whatever lies in the way of their goals. I have been trained to fight and kill   
  
my enemies, the soldiers of OZ, mercilessly, and I do so. I have the blood of   
  
countless soldiers and innocents on my hands, including yours. It was my Gundam   
  
who caused the Leo suit to crash into your school and I who caused it to   
  
explode, injuring you. I made a grave mistake and will not ask for you to   
  
forgive me, but you have the right to know. My tears won't wash your blood from   
  
my hands, but I seem to be crying anyway." At this Quatre looked faintly amused,   
  
then he sobered. "One last thing. I would like to thank you, Kattyena, for   
  
coming into my life. Your presence caused the last two days to be some of the   
  
best in my life. For the first time I didn't feel like a soldier, or a   
  
murderer, I felt happy. I felt myself opening up to another person, and it   
  
healed many of the scars this constant battle has made on my soul. I know I   
  
deserved those scars, but it still felt incredibly good to have them lifted   
  
away. I heard once, that some of the samurai assassins of medieval Japan had   
  
female companions called Sheaths. Since they were constantly killing, the   
  
samurai were much like a bared sword blade, unstable and often mistaken for   
  
soulless. The Sheaths kept their humanity alive, helped them to feel, be human   
  
beings, stand up through all the killing. I know this is all my fault, you must   
  
hate me so much right now, but the instant we met I felt something from you. I   
  
don't know what, but later while talking to you I realized that you would have   
  
been the perfect Sheath for one of those samurai. There's something very open   
  
and relaxing about being around you. I hope that you find a samurai of your own   
  
someday. I'm sorry. Goodbye Kattyena. I really hope you don't speak Japanese.   
  
Gomen nasai watashi no tenshi. I...I think I.... *Whispered* ai shiteru tenshi,   
  
ai shiteru." With the last sentence, Quatre reached out one hand to touch his   
  
fingertips to the lens of the camera. Kattyena reached up to the TV in a   
  
wondering sort of trance, but instead of the soft warmth of his hand; there was   
  
only cold glass under her fingertips. As Kattyena blinked in surprise, Quatre   
  
whispered "I'm sorry" once more and the video cut out. Kattyena's shocked and   
  
tearstained gaze was met by the harsh white noise of the blank tape.  
  
"Quatre...no...Quatre? Where? Where did you go? Quatre? Quatre?! QUATRE!!"   
  
Kattyena broke down into hopeless sobs as the blank tape continued to play, a   
  
single point of harsh light in the darkened room.   
  
  
  
-Just a note- Gomen nasai watashi no tenshi = Forgive me/I'm sorry my angel  
  
ai shiteru tenshi, ai shiteru = I love you angel, I love you.  
  
  
  
Kattyena wandered around the complex for the next few days, somehow   
  
finally finding her way back to Rashid's office. He was sitting at his desk   
  
when she wandered in, although he quickly rose to meet her. "Miss? I would   
  
have thought that transportation would have been arranged for you after you   
  
watched that tape, what are you doing here?" He looked concerned.  
  
"I never left." Kattyena blinked at him. Rashid just looked confused.  
  
"Well uhh, then I suppose I'll arrange transport for you now then..." He   
  
pushed a few buttons on his desk, and looked slightly more at ease. "There, now   
  
I've found someone to make sure you get home safely, they'll be here in a   
  
minute." He turned back to his work.  
  
"Wait a second, could I ask you something before I go?" Kattyena looked   
  
at Rashid, suddenly determined. He looked up at her expectantly. "Would you   
  
mind if I took something of Quatre's with me? As a reminder?" Rashid smiled   
  
sadly.  
  
"No Kattyena, I don't mind, actually I know just the thing."   
  
  
  
Three days later, Kattyena walked into her school with just a slight   
  
feeling of detachment, a compact tape player clipped at her waist. The   
  
beautiful violin solos sung in her ears, their sad tune both soothing and   
  
stabbing her tortured soul. Its heart-wrenching melody reminding her all too   
  
much of Quatre's personality. The sound of the violin was mournful, but the   
  
songs played on it were somehow cheerful and tragic at the same time. An   
  
attempt to raise the spirits of those around it while exposing the inner pain it   
  
hid from the world. Listening to such music and having a constant reminder of   
  
the extraordinary life she had touched so briefly, and the love she had lost   
  
without ever having, not many people could keep from being at least a little   
  
detached. Especially when they were asked to immediately return to the mundane   
  
life they had lead before, without any time to hurt or heal. Considering the   
  
circumstances, Kattyena was doing an admirable job of maintaining a veneer of   
  
normalcy. No one had mentioned her slightly aloof air, her more solemn   
  
demeanor, perhaps they thought things were best left unsaid. As she had fought   
  
her way through that terrible first day of classes, and the next, Kattyena's   
  
mind slowly began to comprehend what happened. It had all occurred in such a   
  
short space of time... She still couldn't believe that he was gone, it almost   
  
seemed that he was still there beside her, that their bond was somehow all the   
  
stronger for their separation. Quatre's words had brought home to her what her   
  
subconscious had known from the start, they shared something special. Perhaps   
  
it sounds cliched to ignorant ears, but they had. Even after only knowing each   
  
other for 48 hours, Kattyena and Quatre's fates were unalterably intertwined, a   
  
meeting of souls almost. Kattyena now understood what was, or had been, between   
  
them, and she could say with utter certainty that it definitely hadn't been a   
  
simple crush. [Look into your soul of souls, do you truly believe I would leave   
  
you koibito?]Kattyena looked around frantically before shaking her head angrily.  
  
Oh yeah...there were also those dreams that had started up. Strange ones   
  
involving Quatre, odd merely because of their realism. Kattyena dreamed often,   
  
and vividly, but never the same subject, every night, real as life itself, and   
  
almost impossibly vivid. Her dreams were...let's just say...slightly   
  
more...odd...than these ones. These were too based in reality, no breaking laws   
  
of gravity, none of her friends suddenly deciding they loved cooking for online   
  
friends, no deflating cars, these dreams were definitely unusual. And if that   
  
wasn't enough, to top it all off she was hearing his voice... she couldn't even   
  
lose it at school. "I mean what the hell, I don't even know what a koibi-  
  
whatsis is!" she muttered under her breath. Although the word did sound   
  
familiar somehow...  
  
"What? What did you just say?" Shaken out of her reverie, Kattyena looked   
  
up to see one of her friends staring at her very oddly. She took off her   
  
headphones and blushed, for she had understood the context the word was used   
  
in...I really hope she didn't understand that...  
  
"Nothing. It was nothing." She assured her friend. She prayed that   
  
whatever Quatre had said wasn't some sort of Japanese slang that her Anime-  
  
obsessed friend would understand. Although she could swear she'd heard the word   
  
before...  
  
"Oiii" Her friend smiled foolishly. "I coulda sworn I heard you say   
  
koibito, which is Japanese for lover, I think...but I think I've told you that   
  
before... In fact I'm sure of it...when...hnn...oh I remember, it was when I   
  
wrote that fic with me and Heer- ack! Never mind, never mind!" Her friend   
  
turned an odd shade of pink, waving her hands furiously. Kattyena replaced her   
  
headphones...That girl, she could be so odd sometimes...wait that was where she   
  
had heard it before, her friend had written something about herself and this   
  
other guy from a show...yeah that was it. Her friend had explained at the time,   
  
with much humming and hawing, that koibito was a word for a kind of sort of   
  
something like lover, more serious than girlfriend or boyfriend...but she wasn't   
  
sure and read entirely too much fanfiction and shouldn't be quoted on it...   
  
Well Kattyena was going to quote her on it now. She suddenly realized that   
  
there were no tears threatening her eyes. Was she so shallow as to have   
  
forgotten the loss of Quatre already? [No, you could never be shallow. You're   
  
just locking away your feelings because you don't want to bring down those   
  
around you. It's a considerate thing to do, but don't lock it all away because   
  
as much as it hurts now, it will only hurt more later.] Kattyena told   
  
herself...or no, rather the voice in her head told her. It was her wasn't it?   
  
What else could it be? Was she going crazy? [No koi, you aren't. I'm sorry just   
  
wait a little longer, please...be my sheath, be strong, for just a little   
  
longer..] Kattyena shook her head violently once more. These conversations with   
  
herself would have to stop. It was just too strange, besides if she let them   
  
continue, what if she started talking out loud one day...No they would   
  
definitely have to stop. "Hello? Kattyena, anyone home?" The anime freak   
  
rapped her knuckles on Kattyena's forehead. Kattyena blinked slowly before   
  
removing the ever-present headphones once more and shooting a halfhearted glare   
  
at her friend.  
  
"Sorry, just spacing." She rubbed her forehead. "But you didn't have to   
  
knock so hard."  
  
"Oii, sorry about that." Her friend grinned sheepishly. "Ne ne what shall   
  
we do today?" The girl changed the subject and Kattyena was brought back to the   
  
present, which happened to be her third day back at school. When Kattyena   
  
didn't answer, the other girl twitched her ears (=3 which looks really odd when   
  
a person does it...) an oddly inhuman gesture, and brought up her hand in   
  
preparations for another couple of taps. This caused Kattyena to answer   
  
hurriedly.  
  
"Uhh I dunno...I think I'll just go home." She answered uncertainly. The   
  
other girl shrugged.  
  
"Nandemo, (whatever) I guess I'll go home and sleep then." She took off   
  
in the direction of her home, gliding quickly, if clumsily, away on her roller-  
  
blades. Kattyena, true to her word, went home. When she got there though, the   
  
house was empty. Not that it mattered. Flopping down on the couch, Kattyena   
  
turned on the TV and was suddenly consumed by an overpowering drowsiness. The   
  
after school cartoons weren't that boring, but after a while she simply couldn't   
  
keep her droopy eyelids open. The chattering of the TV faded into the   
  
background and Kattyena was once more taken to the strange world of her dreams   
  
where she didn't need the tape player to hear his violin.  
  
  
  
["Kuso...I've done it this time!" She/he was thrown violently against the   
  
mobile suit's safety harness. She/he jerked on the controls and the robot   
  
ceased it's erratic tumbling. However the mobile dolls were hot on her/his   
  
proverbial tail and her/his suit was already badly damaged. She/he was growing   
  
very tired; no one could fight so many mobile dolls alone for so long without   
  
sooner or later succumbing to their greater stamina. The final shots were fired   
  
and her/his twin, curved swords were knocked out of her/his hands. The Vulcan   
  
cannon in her/his helmet was out of ammo, as was everything else. She/he   
  
sighed. None of her/his fellows would reach them in time. She/he had to do it   
  
now, before the critical mechanism became too damaged to work. Mobile dolls   
  
surrounded her/him like ants around a disturbed hill as she/he flipped up the   
  
guard and punched that vile red button. Warnings began to sound in the cockpit,   
  
loud, annoying warnings. She/he hit a switch and the alarms cut off, the   
  
cockpit suddenly silent except for the muffled sounds of battle outside. She/he   
  
watched sadly as the scores of mobile dolls took aim and fired shots that would   
  
never reach her. Suddenly her communications board crackled. "Quatre? Quatre   
  
is that you?" The voice was somehow familiar to her/him. She/he found   
  
herself/himself speaking back to it.  
  
"There's too many of them Trowa, escape while you can. It's too late."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"Sandrock is...too damaged." She/he sighed. "Trowa, please go, and tell them   
  
how I died." She/he shut of communications. Trowa was her/his only real friend   
  
among the other pilots and she/he didn't want him to hear her/him die. She/he   
  
whispered her/his last good-byes as the cockpit rattled with the concussions of   
  
her self-destructing suit. The last explosion sent a huge fireball up into the   
  
afternoon sky as her/his world was thrown into the blackness of unconsciousness.   
  
I'm sorry...]  
  
  
  
Kattyena sat up violently from her position on the couch, breathing heavily.   
  
Not again... She put her hands up to cover her face but no tears came. I can't   
  
do it. I can't let myself. It hurts too much to remember...oh Quatre... The   
  
tears finally came and Kattyena sobbed herself back to sleep.  
  
  
  
[She/he crawled painfully through the underbrush near the base; her/his multiple   
  
injuries causing a whole hell of a lot of pain, even if they were mostly scrapes   
  
and cuts. The abandoned cabin was only a little ways ahead, if he could only   
  
make it there, there was a transmitter, one of her/his fellow pilots would come   
  
and help her/him. Then she/he would be back in action. If only she/he could   
  
walk... only a little further...  
  
  
  
She/he shivered, the cabin offering little protection against the icy winds.   
  
They came in through the chinks in the wall and caressed her/his poor body.   
  
She/he was sure she/he would die if something didn't happen soon. She/he could   
  
no longer move, the cuts were beginning to get infected and she/he was sure a   
  
few bones of hers/his must be broken. Slowly she/he closed her/his runny eyes   
  
and waited some more...  
  
  
She/he opened her/his eyes at the sound of a door opening. Or rather tried to   
  
open them. Her/his eyelashes were crusted together as a result of a nasty cold   
  
she/he had developed. She/he was just lucky she/he hadn't gone into shock the   
  
night before... She/he finally got her/his eyes open and was assaulted by the   
  
brightness around the silhouette in the doorway. "Itai..." she/he croaked.   
  
Well it was either help or her/his death standing in that doorway and she/he   
  
didn't have enough energy to lift her/his head and see. Strong arms picked   
  
her/him up and a familiar voice sounded in her ears.  
  
"Took me a while to find you." Trowa said.  
  
"Thank you." She/he smiled painfully and slipped into unconsciousness once   
  
more.]  
  
  
  
Kattyena opened her eyes to the real world once more, this time more calmly.   
  
She sighed and lay staring up at the living room ceiling. Such vivid   
  
dreams...why am I dreaming about his past? I only knew him for a couple of   
  
days, could we have developed that much of a link? So much that I dream about   
  
his missions whenever I close my eyes? Kattyena wasn't entirely accurate on   
  
that last statement since her dream was always the same one, exactly. She shook   
  
her head to clear it. Who was that Trowa guy anyway? [Like a brother koi, it's   
  
nice having a brother when you have 29 sisters.] Kattyena blinked. That was   
  
right. Rashid had told her that. 29 sisters was a lot...it almost made   
  
Kattyena's eyes cross. You get used to it after a while. Kattyena was getting   
  
all too used to talking herself; she hardly noticed it anymore, except to   
  
chastise herself once in a while. The phone rang, and Kattyena got up to answer   
  
it, checking her watch. It was almost six.  
  
"Hello, may I speak to Ms. Kattyena?" The voice on the other end was   
  
momentarily unfamiliar; it was too deep and mature to be any of her friends.  
  
"Speaking." She replied blandly.  
  
"Ah. Ms. Kattyena it's Rashid, would anyone object if you left the house for a   
  
short while? I'd like you to come down to the base." Kattyena frowned. She   
  
thought the Magnamac had packed up and left days ago. Rashid probably decided   
  
that he couldn't let her go without more questioning and reassurances that she   
  
wouldn't say anything to anyone. Kattyena blinked.  
  
"Sure. No one's here right now, but I can leave a note." She said.  
  
"Thank you, someone will be there shortly to pick you up." Rashid hung up.   
  
Kattyena frowned again. Well whatever he wanted, he seemed rather grim. Maybe   
  
one of Quatre's 29 sisters wanted the (Guaahhh I keep trying to call it an SDAT   
  
player...baka Shinji!! ) tape and tape player, after all they had been his.   
  
That would be unfortunate. Kattyena thought about all of this, writing a quick   
  
note saying she would be out for a while, and walking to the front door to wait.   
  
As her hand touched the doorknob, she did it again. [Don't forget a jacket now   
  
koi, you don't want to catch a cold.] Kattyena blinked this time and grabbed a   
  
jacket out of the closet absently. How disturbing. Well hopefully she would   
  
get rid of that habit soon. A car pulled up outside and she ran to meet it,   
  
jumping in and shutting the door. Despite the shortness of the ride, since they   
  
took a roundabout route, Kattyena managed to doze off for a minute or two.   
  
Surprisingly all she dreamed about was...driving around in cars. When she woke   
  
up, they had reached the Magnamac base and she was led inside. The walk to   
  
Rashid's office brought a few halfhearted tears, because initially, it was the   
  
same route she had taken with Quatre the first time she was brought to the base   
  
in his arms. She had been drifting in and out of some semblance of   
  
consciousness at the time, but she still remembered the route well enough.   
  
Luckily or unluckily, they soon turned off and followed the maze of passages   
  
somewhere else and the bittersweet memories dispelled. Rashid was in his office   
  
when Kattyena walked in with her escort. One of the tanned Magnamac men nodded   
  
to him. Then all of them left the office, leaving Kattyena alone with the bear-  
  
like man. "I'll get right to the point, one of Quatre's fellow pilots-"  
  
"Trowa?" Kattyena inquired.  
  
"Yes..." Rashid stopped to give her an odd look before continuing. "Is going to   
  
arrive at this base soon and he requested you be here to meet him." Rashid's   
  
brow wrinkled. "Don't ask me why because I don't know. His message was pre-  
  
recorded, and only stated that he was coming here and that he'd like you to be   
  
present." The possibility that perhaps he was bringing Quatre's body with him   
  
was left unsaid.  
  
"When will he be here?"  
  
"I'm not sure exactly when, but within ten minutes."  
  
"Perhaps we should go outside and wait?"  
  
"Yes, for once this infernal town isn't being drenched in rain, do let us enjoy   
  
it." Rashid stepped out from behind his desk and Kattyena fell into step behind   
  
him. "This town's weather just doesn't suit us desert types, Master Quatre was   
  
the only one who actually seemed to like the rain." After that Rashid and   
  
Kattyena both lapsed into memory-laden silence.  
  
  
  
They had barely been waiting for ten minutes when a car pulled up to the wide-  
  
open gate in the chain link fence that surrounded the cannery. Getting up from   
  
the bench that they had been sitting on near the warehouse, Kattyena and Rashid   
  
began to walk towards the car. One door opened and a tall lanky boy stepped   
  
out. He was dressed in a dark green turtleneck and light blue jeans. A swath   
  
of tawny-brown hair covered one eye, but left the other, quiet forest green in   
  
color, exposed. So this is Trowa Kattyena thought to herself. Hey at least it   
  
was her own thought this time. However any other thoughts she might have been   
  
even thinking of thinking stopped when Trowa helped the other passenger out of   
  
the car. Kattyena's heart rammed painfully into her throat as she stopped dead.   
  
No, it can't be...but she knew she would recognize that face anywhere. And   
  
truly although battered, bandaged, and somewhat the worse for wear, it was   
  
definitely him smiling weakly at her, his platinum gold hair playfully tousled   
  
by the light sea breeze, his blue eyes had smudges of sleeplessness under them,   
  
but they retained their sparkle. It couldn't be anyone else standing there,   
  
with his incredible beauty that was so like that of the bared sword blade he   
  
used to describe the traditional warriors. Kattyena felt a pressure building   
  
inside of her, and although her brain still catching up to what was happening,   
  
her soul of souls knew. With tremendous yell, she ran joyously towards the   
  
young angel that had captured her heart. Quatre was alive.  
  
  
  
[I told you it was only a little longer koibito...]  
  
  
  
-OWARI-   
(End) part 2  
  
  
  
Author's Note(s)/Personal Disclaimers/Rambling: Well I like this one better. I   
  
hope others do too. I thought of ending it here but I wasn't sure. It's a good   
  
place to conclude, but I don't really know whether I feel like it's finished. I   
  
guess I'll make it your (the reader's) job to decide. I don't know if I could   
  
write more if I wanted to. Does it feel unconcluded to you? Well anyways...I   
  
hope this one made the Quatre fans a little happier...O.o;; You shoulda seen my   
  
friend when she read the first part.  
  
-K is reading TC's story-  
  
TC: Ummm hey Inert could you remove all sharp object's from around her?  
  
I: Sure...  
  
K: -mumble mumble- (reading slightly aloud.) Quatre...blah blah blah...what?   
  
What? Quatre...?  
  
-K's head snaps up in a nastily predatory way from the page-  
  
-TC looks distressed ......-  
  
K: Quatre...? You killed...him off?  
  
-eyes narrow-  
  
TC: Ummmm well ... you know I've always been fond of those angsty   
  
fics...nuthin too disney for me...and well uhhh y'see...  
  
K: You.....killed...Quatre?  
  
-posture shifts to one frighteningly close to that of a hunting 'raptor  
  
TC: Uhhh yeah....'fraid so...  
  
K: You....  
  
-K spins suddenly and rapidly hits Inert several times...viciously...he protests   
  
that he didn't do anything...-  
  
TC: Ummmm.....Don't worry...even with him dead the story'll be really cute in   
  
the second part...I think you'll like it...  
  
K: So he's not dead?  
  
TC: No, no he's definitely dead...(keeping it a surprise =3) The second part is   
  
about you guys realizing how you felt...-please don't hurt me...-  
  
K: So you killed him off....?  
  
TC: Was for the good of the story! I tell you it's for the best....X.x;;;;  
  
K: But you killed him off?  
  
TC: Uhhh yeahhhh....  
  
K: Just had to be sure before I killed you...  
  
TC: Ack! No...Just lemme finish the story! No don't hurt meeeeeeee  
  
-A chase ensues...K chases TC around the house for fifteen minutes before TC's   
  
mother comes home and K is forced to put the baseball bat down.-  
  
I: Well you only said sharp objects...  
  
  
  
Disclaimer(s): I don't own Gundam Wing or the characters and stuff I used from   
  
it...I'm not making money from this, I did it purely for fun...so don't sue   
  
me...I do own my own characters though...and my plotlines...my stuff...O.o;; I'm   
  
making a mess of this aren't I? Well all the standard disclaimers and stuff I   
  
forgot...  
  



	3. Where There's One...

Kattyena leaned back, snuggling further into the warmth and comfort that Quatre's encircling arms provided readily **__**

SWORD AND SHEATH

PART 3 A.U.: WHERE THERE'S ONE…. 

A/n: can't write any more after this…dun think…I'm not depressed enough ^.^ besides my friend's obsessed with Dilly-sama now (Dilandau ß -from Escaflowne) so I sort of finished off the fic with a bit of silliness…If you can't guess, I'm T'Chebbi …and my friend Draven is a writer on ff.net called Draven Diabella I think…^.^ sou…I put this up for the sake of history ^^ enjoy

Kattyena leaned back, snuggling further into the warmth and comfort that Quatre's encircling arms provided readily. "So it wasn't a dream?" she tipped her head back to look at his face. "All of that actually happened to you?"

"Yes koi, this just proves how special our Link is." He nuzzled her ear. She blushed. When Quatre had been relating his tale of what happened after he self-destructed Sandrock, Kattyena had gotten an odd look on her face. When he had asked her what the look was for, she had replied haltingly.

__

"And then Trowa showed up…What's the funny look for Kattyena?"

"I just…I…all that was in my dreams…"

"Hmm…perhaps her uccho no kokkoro is even more perceptive than mine…"

"Hm?"

"I'll explain later koi."

"What is that koko thing you were talking about?" Kattyena asked again.

"Well it's kind of hard to explain, but I'll try. Sometimes I can sense the people that I know, like how they're feeling, even if they aren't anywhere near me. Other times it acts kind of like intuition, I can figure out what a person is thinking. I t wouldn't be right to call them psychic powers really…but that's kind of what they are. An ability to sense other's feelings and sometimes their general train of thought. But you saw exactly what was happening to me, almost the whole sequence of events. And I remember hearing your voice and thinking I was talking to you while I was sick. Come to think of it, perhaps I had dreams like yours but I don't remember them as well." Quatre squinted. "Do…you have a friend who twitches her ears…even though she's human?"

"Yeah! Yeah I do!" Kattyena burst out laughing.

"And a girl with big black wings?" Quatre frowned.

"Yeah! Well, we don't think she really does…it's sort of something we made up."

"What about a guy who shoots electricity out of his cheeks? Is that possible?" Kattyena had to double over, she was laughing so hard.

"No, no he doesn't actually do it, it's a joke…you'll understand soon, you'll meet them all won't you?" Kattyena turned to look at Quatre again. Quatre looked thoughtful, then nodded.

"I discerned that the pilots of the Mobile Suits that attacked your school were acting alone, and since I…I destroyed them, my cover is intact." Kattyena hugged Quatre, although it was an odd embrace since she was leaning against his chest, a backwards hug is better than no hug. She knew how Quatre felt about killing, but it had been necessary. After all, he had been protecting _her_. Kattyena blinked. Perhaps this koko thing was stronger than either of them thought. Sometimes it seemed that one or two of her thoughts weren't hers…

"Quatre were you just thinking that you had to kill those pilots because you were protecting me?" Kattyena asked suddenly.

"Well yeah, I was actually, how did you know?" Quatre looked mildly surprised.

"I was thinking the same thing, sort of." Kattyena smiled and leaned back again. "So does this mean I can tell my friends that I have a koibito?" Kattyena grinned at Quatre. He blinked.

"Yeah, I guess that's the best word for it." He smiled. "But will any of them understand?"

"Some, and if they don't, I'll just settle for boyfriend." She continued to grin at him. Then something occurred to her. "Hmm, will you come back to school with me?"

"I suppose it _is_ part of my cover isn't it?" He laughed. "Why?"

"Well, then when will you be well enough to come back?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm well enough to go right away, I'm pretty well rested and most of my injuries aren't serious. The only thing that might have been a problem was my concussion and it's already been discerned that there's no permanent damage resulting from that. My arm is safe in it's cast and the rest are all bruises and cuts." Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I feel fine."

"Are you sure you don't need a little more rest?" Kattyena frowned at him.

"Are you sure _you _don't?" Quatre replied after glancing at the clock. "We both have school tomorrow, and it's 2 a.m. perhaps we should get some sleep."

"Yeah," Kattyena agreed. "But I'm too tired to move."

"Me too."

"Hmm."

"Kattyena, Quatre, it's time to get up." Rashid's voice echoed in their ears as the two got up from where they had been sleeping on the ratty couch in the street-side entrance of the undercover base. Kattyena yawned and stretched. She was lucky she had already done today's homework, since there hadn't really been time last night. Suddenly she was struck by an awful thought, what about her family? Oh yeah, they had all been somewhere else…her parents off to see that show, they wouldn't be back 'till later in the week, and her brother had that school thing…Well wasn't she lucky. Kattyena grinned. Everything seemed to be going her way these days. Quatre was already herding her towards the mess facilities in the base, so she straightened her clothes and walked forwards with a bounce in her step. They ate breakfast quickly, there was no one to compete with, since it wasn't the regular breakfast time for the soldiers. Then they dropped by Kattyena's house to pick up her bag and finally arrived at the school. Rashid had already explained to the school that although Quatre had supposedly transferred out, the arrangements had fallen through, so he was back. They went to their respective lockers and on their way down the stairs from Kattyena's locker, they met up with the ear-twitcher.

"Hiya Kattyena!" The girl noticed Quatre and twitched her ears. "Hiii…."

"T'Chebbi this is Quatre, he's a transfer student from Japan, but he isn't really Japanese and he speaks perfect English." Kattyena introduced Quatre to her strange friend. Her friend blinked in surprise for a second, before shaking her head slightly as if to clear it, then her eyes widened.

"Wooow really? Suugoiiiii- I mean cool! Pleased to meet ya!" She inclined her head in a small bow.

"Pleased to meet you too." Quatre grinned and also bowed. The girl bounced up and down.

"Waiii oh yeah! Kattyena! I Forgot to tell ya! I wrote more on my story, see?" She handed Kattyena a paper then withdrew it. "Nevermind, read it later. Hey there's Draven!" The little psycho-neko bounded over to another girl, with her ebony hair drawn up into two tufted loops (. what else can I call them?) on either side of her head.

"Draven…hmm" Quatre frowned.

"What?" Kattyena asked.

"Nothing, it's just I know someone named Draven. Is that the winged one?" Quatre asked.

"Yeah that's her." Kattyena laughed and led him over to meet Draven.

"Hi Kattyena! Hey who's this?" Draven looked skeptically at Quatre.

"His name's Quatre, he's a transfer student from Japan, but he isn't really Japanese and speaks perfect English." Kattyena grinned. Draven blinked a moment.

"Hmm…blonde eh?" Draven grinned at Kattyena, who blushed. Then she turned to Quatre. "Hi Quatre."

"Hi." Quatre smiled one of his friendly smiles. They proceeded to meet all of Kattyena's other friends, and had worked their way through to lunch, when Quatre was called down to the office. Kattyena wanted to go with him but he assured her it wasn't anything like _that_. It most likely had to do with his double-transfer. So she finished up her lunch, and walked outside with T'Chebbi. On their way to the soccer field, they passed the wrecked wall of the science lab. Kattyena paused for a moment.

"Hey T'Chebbi, have you ever heard of a Mobile Suit?" Kattyena asked spontaneously. She was very surprised by her friend's reaction. T'Chebbi stood stock still and looked kind of stricken for a moment, before exploding into high speed babble.

"Ahhh I'm so sorry, I was gonna tell you earlier, but I thought you would think I was crazy and besides I probably shouldn't tell you, I mean…" she trailed off. Kattyena blinked at her, the girl looked embarrassed. "I met these two really nice guys the other day…wait how do you know about Mobile Suits?" The girl blinked.

"What? How do _you_ know?" Kattyena looked confused.

"You mean you know too?" T'Chebbi blinked.

"Yeah…umm Quatre…"

"Aha! So I was right! Lemme guess he's a pilot!" The girl looked excited.

"Yeah…how did you know?" Kattyena was lost.

"Haha!" The girl looked momentarily triumphant. "That's so cool!" Then her eyes began to shift from side to side "Ohh uhh how did _I _know?"

"Yeah…T'Cheeeebbbiiiiii." Kattyena glared.

"Uhh well…you see I met these two guys the other day named Heero and Duo…."

"What? You guys too?"

"What do you mean us too Draven?"

"Ohh so he is _that_ Quatre…Trowa told me about him…"

"Trowa? I know him!"

"Hey Heero and Duo talked about a Trowa!"

"Oh my…"

****

-OWARI…?-

(End?) Part 3 Alternate Universe


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